What if?
by VC
Summary: Alternate Version of "Fools Russian Part 1" What if someone else had been shot?


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What if ?

By: Daffy

Disclaimer: All characters here belong to whoever makes that show, The District. I'm making no money. 

Note: What would have happened in "Fools Russian Part 1", if that bullet had hit someone else. 

Danny McGreggor saw the long haired man pull the gun out of his shirt and instantly, his instincts took over. He reached over the bed, covering the patient and the young lady standing on the other side of the bed. He could only hope that this was enough to keep her safe. His partner would never forgive him if anything happened to Jazel. 

He heard the gun go of, and then the sound of people yelling and fighting as they wrestled the gunman to the ground, but for some odd reason, he couldn't see these things. There was a small, stinging feeling right above his shoulder. Then he heard his partner's voice. 

"Danny, Danny man, wake up. Hurry, he's been shot!" 

Then he fell into the dark blanket of unconsciousness, 

*********************************************** 

"Sir, it's Temple," Jack Manon listened to the voice on the other end of the phone. 

Whatever was going on, it didn't sound good. 

"Temple, What's wrong?" 

"Danny's been shot. He's in serious condition. They just took him to surgery." 

"I'll be there in a few minutes." Manon hung up the phone. This was bad. This wasn't like Travis or any of the other cops that'd been lost. This was Danny McGreggor, the sarcastic, secretive, Irishman who'd become one of his closest friends and confidants. 

"Sir," Jack looked up in time to see Nancy poke her head through the door. "I'm heading home for the night." 

"Actually Nancy, I need you to come here for a minute." Jack watched as the red-headed woman cautiously came into the room. "Sit down Nancy." Once again, she did as she was 

told. 

Jack knelt down in front of her, "Nancy, I just got a call from Temple, it was about Danny." He immediately saw the fear in her eyes. 

"What about Danny?" she asked with a quivering voice. 

"He's been shot. He's in serious condition, but he is at the hospital and they're trying everything they can." 

Nancy simply sat there for a few minutes, trying to comprehend the entire situation. 

"But, he, he's still alive right?" she asked. 

"Yeah, come on, I'm going to the hospital right now, you can come with me." Jack offered. 

He reached out his hand, which she gladly took and walked her down towards the garage where his car was. 

********************************************** 

"Jazel, how is he?" Detective Temple Page asked his fiancée. 

"Well, they just took him out of surgery. He's alive, but weak. They have him on life support. The bullet damaged part of his shoulder, but it should be fixable. The bullet lodged in his neck. There was a lot of blood, and we still don't know if his vocal box was damaged or not. He's having trouble breathing on his own, and there is also a fear that there may be some brain damage, or hearing loss. The artery that was damaged was a major one and the blood may have managed to get into the brain and put pressure on it. But we won't know anything until he wakes up." 

Temple sat down in the nearest chair. 

"He will wake up though, right?" 

"He should, but with the repertory problems, we can't say for sure." Jazel said. 

"What the was he doing?" yelled Temple. 

"He saved my life, Temple, that's what he was doing. He was doing his job." Jazel told him. 

"I know, but still. After what happened to Travis, I swore I would always be there to watch my partners back. That I would never take my eyes off of him until I was sure the situation was safe. And I didn't and know, it's happening again. I can't be responsible for 

Danny's death too." 

"Temple, it wasn't your fault. What happened to Travis was an accident. You couldn't have changed that. Anyway, he was doing his job, just like Danny. It comes with the work. I know that, every time you go out, I wonder if it'll be the last time I'll see you." 

"I know But.." Temple was cut off mid-sentence as both Nancy and Jack entered the room. 

"Chief!" yelled Temple. 

"Temple, tell me he's okay," pleaded Nancy. 

"Nancy, come here. I think the doctor will be out soon." Jazel lead Nancy away from the two men and off to a corner to talk. 

"What happened Temple?" asked Danny. 

"Danny and I were here investigating some dispute between to neighbors. The old man was stabbed by his neighbor. The old guy's son came in and was yelling. I was trying to calm down the old man, when his son pulled a gun and tried to shoot the neighbor. Danny leaned over him and Jazel, shielding them from the bullet." 

"Temple, I know that look. This was not your fault." Jack said. 

"I've already been told that, but it doesn't help." 

The doctor entered the room. "Who is here for Detective McGreggor?" 

Everyone in the room stood up. "Well," began the Doctor," I'm sure Jazel has told you most of the information. He's stable for now, but we won't know exactly how much damage was done until wakes up." 

"And when will that be?" asked Jack. 

"It could be as soon as a few hours, or as long as a week. It's very hard to tell. But if you want to visit him, you can do that. It may help. I'm not sure if he can hear you or not, but it's worth a try." the doctor said. 

"Nancy, you go first," said Jack. 

*********************************** 

Inside the intensive care unit, the only sound was the beeps and whistles of the machines as they kept the patients alive. Nancy held her breath as she turned the corner and found Danny's room. She quietly and cautiously entered the room. 

Danny was pale and dishelved. In other situations, she may have laughed at the state of his hair, which he usually was held in places with about half a bottle of hair gel. She spotted a chair next to his bed. Sitting down next to him ,she reached over and grabbed his hand. 

"Danny, I don't know if you can or can't hear me right now, but please don't die on me Danny. I know you've never said anything, but if you really care about me, in any way, shape, or form then please don't die. I love you Danny." she whispered in the end. 

She just laid down her head in next to him, and waited. A few minutes later, she felt a comforting hand on her arm. 

"Jazel, I thought you only worked in the ER." 

"I do, I'm visiting. He'll be okay Nancy. You know what he was doing, he saved my life. I have no doubt in my mind, that I would have died if he hadn't protected me. He's a hero Nancy." 

"Thanks Jazel, thank you a lot. I think I'm going to let some of the others see him for a 

bit." 

******************************************** 

Three hours later, everyone had seen Danny, and Nancy was back in the room. Meanwhile, in the lobby, Jack was still thinking it all over. How many more could he loose. How many had he already lost? Since becoming police chief here, he'd been to far too many funerals. But Danny would have been an entire new area. Sure, he and Travis were friends, but Danny was closer than that. As some of the others on the force joked, he was one of Manon's elite Inner Circle. And maybe he was. 

But he was Manon's friend. Coffee every morning and some sarcastic remark to go with it. He was a difficult man sometimes and very secretive, even to Nancy. But deep down, Jack knew that Danny had feelings for all of them, even though he had a hard time showing it. 

Jack knew that this danger was all part of the job, but it still didn't stop the feelings of regret he had. When Travis had died, Jack had went through a period of morning at the loss, but he began to wonder, exactly how many on his force were injured that he didn't know about. 

He heard Nick's phone ring. Nick spoke to the man for a few seconds then turned to Jack and said, "It's an old friend." 

*************************************************** 

Inside Danny's room, Nancy was fast asleep, holding onto Danny's hand. Slowly, the blackness disappeared, and Danny saw that he was inside a hospital room. The side of his neck hurt and suddenly, it all came back, the gun shot, the yelling, he'd been shot. Slowly he looked around the room. To his left, fast asleep was Nancy. 

She looked exhausted even in sleep. How long had he'd been out? He reached over with the hand that she didn't have a tight clasp on, and pushed a little hair out o her eyes, but it only fell right back down. He smiled a bit. How close had he come do dying? He wasn't sure. But he was glad he hadn't, there would be too many regrets. Never seeing his son again, never telling Temple that'd he's a great cop, never telling Nancy that.... Damn, he couldn't even say that in his head, much less out loud. Of course, she's sleeping right now, so she wouldn't here it anyway, so what did it matter? What's the harm?" 

Quietly, he whispered to her, "I love you," 

"I know." She whispered back. 

"Nancy, you're awake?" No answer. That was odd. He knew it was Nancy's voice, but she looked to still be sleeping. 

One of these days, he would tell her, when she was awake for sure. 

******************************************** 

Four days later, he was going home. Of course, he couldn't come back to work for at least another two weeks, and even then, only desk duty. Danny waited on the bed for Nancy to show up. She was taking him back to his apartment. 

"Ready to go?" asked Nancy as she appeared in the door. 

"Are you kidding, I've been ready for the past three days." The two headed out the door of the hospital and over to Nancy's car. At his apartment, she helped him to the door. 

"Thank you Nancy, for everything." It was all he could think of. 

"What else am I for?" she asked in good humor. 

"A lot, stay for dinner?" he asked. 

"I don't know, Danny, I've got.." 

"Please," he whispered. 

"Why not, I don't have to be back at work for another few days, so if I get food poisoning..." 

"Hey, I might not be the best cook in the world, but I can promise my food will not make 

you sick." 

"I'll trust you on that." she smiled. 

Danny placed both his arms around her and pulled her into the apartment, closing the door behind them. 


End file.
